Emotional Pence Speech Reaffirms Israel as a Strong US Ally

Vice President Mike Pence passionately told 20,000 supporters of Israel this week that the “unbreakable” bond between the United States and Israel would will flourish under President Donald Trump’s administration.

In particular, Pence vowed that Trump would work against Iran’s attempts to destabilize the region, would move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and would hunt down and eradicate the Islamic State group. He also assured the crowd that Israel could look to current U.S. leadership for support.

“President Trump will never compromise the safety and security of the Jewish State Israel,” he said Sunday, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual meeting in Washington.

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Pence noted that Israel has borne the brunt of Iran’s disruptive efforts in the Middle East, as the Islamic Republic’s leaders have openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state.

“The ayatollahs in Tehran openly admit their desire to wipe Israel off the map and drive its people into the sea,” Pence said. “America will no longer tolerate Iran’s efforts to destabilize the region and jeopardize Israel’s security.”

Under Trump, Pence promised, the U.S. will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, and he recalled how “enmity toward the Jewish people often turns from evil thought to evil action.”

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Pence spoke about a Holocaust survivor he met on a trip in February to Dachau, Germany — the site of the first Nazi concentration camp. His tour guide, 93-year-old Abdi Noor, had been imprisoned at the death camp when he was 17.

Noor described for Pence the hellish experience of being a slave in the Nazi camp, which Pence related to the AIPAC crowd before recounting the defining moment of his trip.

With tears in his eyes, Pence said, Noor spoke words the vice president would never forget: “Then the Americans came.”

“I was so proud,” Pence said told the audience. “Those words underscored the imperative of American strength, and they powerfully remind us of the immutable bond between our people and the people of Israel.”

“I know with all of my heart that with your help, with God’s help, and with the strong leadership of President Donald Trump, our nations and our peoples will remain forever friends, and we will go forth together to meet the glorious future that awaits. Thank you. God bless you, God bless Israel, and God bless the United States of America.”

Watch snippets from the vice president’s pro-Israel speech here:

Emotional Pence Speech Reaffirms Israel as a Strong US Ally

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